1033 Officer Down
Location: Provo, Utah Date: July 6, 1991 Story In the early evening of July 6, 1991, Utah County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Morgan was on patrol when he saw a man being pursued by two others. Morgan stopped his truck and radioed for backup to Officer Phil Webber, who he knew was in the area. While Morgan physically separated two of the belligerent men, the third man ran away. Officer Webber pulled up, and as he ran to assist Morgan, he noticed a man 150 feet down a dirt lane, approaching with an aimed rifle. Morgan recognized the gunman as the man who had run away. The officers pulled the two men behind Morgan's vehicle for cover and ordered the gunman to drop the rifle. Instead, he fearlessly continued approaching without cover and opened fire. "Ten-thirty-three," reported Officer Webber urgently into his handheld radio, stating his location. The code "ten-thirty-three" means officer needs help now, so when Provo Police dispatchers Linda Hargadon and Susan Lester heard Officer Webber's voice, they knew he was in serious danger. The dispatchers called for backup and fire and rescue units to respond to the scene. The officers returned the gunman's fire, but their firearms were not very effective at such a distance. Several rounds were exchanged before the suspect went down. Then Officer Webber stumbled to the back of the truck, blood squirting from his neck. "I'm hit. I'm hit," he radioed to dispatchers. "When I heard that Phil was shot, I couldn't believe it," recalls Hargadon. "And then I remembered back to the night before when I called him on the air and told him he'd just become a grandfather again. I kept thinking, this isn't fair." Morgan figured Officer Webber's artery had been hit. He sat him upright against the truck's bumper and pressed his hand on the wound to stop the bleeding. The suspect struggled to sit up and aimed his rifle. Morgan reached for his M-14 assault rifle in the rear of his truck. He couldn't remove his hand from Officer Webber's wound, but he couldn't load the rifle with just one hand. One of the men offered his assistance and Morgan felt he had no choice but to entrust him with Officer Webber. Morgan aimed, and the other man jumped him from behind, yelling not to shoot his friend. Morgan commanded the man to get back, prepared to shoot him if necessary. Meanwhile, the suspect with the rifle was not giving up. Morgan found himself in an outrageously dangerous situation, his attention divided between a suspect to his front, one to his back, and a third handling the critically wounded Officer Webber. Morgan fires several shots and the suspect went down. "I'd never shot anybody before," recalls the deputy. "It's tough to take a high-powered rifle and shoot another human being." Before rescuers safely entered the scene, Morgan and Park Ranger Mike Forshee, who had just arrived, secured the rifle from the suspect, who was still alive. Morgan and the rescuers didn't hold much hope for Officer Webber's survival as he was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. At the hospital, tests revealed that, contrary to initial impressions, Officer Webber did not receive any lacerations to his artery, so the shrapnel was left in his body. Doctors said that had the bullet been one-half inch closer to his artery, he would not have survived. They desperately attempted to save his right index finger, who had been shattered, but ultimately they could not. Says Morgan, "Your trigger finger is pretty much your life. If you don't have a trigger finger you're not a cop." Today, however, Officer Webber is still a cop, the only Provo police officer qualified to shoot with both hands. The suspect survived, was found guilty of attempted murder, and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. "Phil's a very lucky guy," says his wife, Karen, "and I'm lucky, too, to have him with me. Officer Webber feels deep gratitude toward Morgan for saving his life. They, previously professional acquaintances, have formed a stronger bond because of surviving the incident together. "My wife and I both firmly believe my life was saved by an angel," says Officer Webber. "That took the form of first aid administered by Morgan, by medical personnel and other officers, and hospital personnel--everything put together. I owe a lot to a lot of people." Category:1991 Category:Utah Category:Gunshot Wounds Category:Shootings Category:Amputations